Things that can be monetarise are supported by things that cannot be monetarised

By faith we understand that the universe was created by the word of God, so that what is seen has been made from things that are not visible (Hebrews 11:3 HCSB).
With our eyes we can see in the world of mammon, things that can be monetarise are supported by things that cannot be monetarised.
We can pay the salesmen easily. Give him a commission based on his sales. It is a bit more difficult to determine the value of the back-end supporting staff. But we can also pay them bonuses based on company's profit. But how do we measure the monetary values of loyalty, integrity and honesty which the staff has?
Commercial organisations exist to make money. Monetarising their effort is quite easy. However, if the other supporting organisations are not there, commerce may not be viable. You would need the police to maintain law and order. You need the civil service to maintain public services. You need religions and charities to keep people happy in bad times.
How do we measure the contributions of non-commercial entities? What would happen if we monetarised their effort? Would things be the same?
Behind every successful person is a woman, usually the super mum. But motherhood is free. Whenever a woman gets paid, it is usually for her job, not as a mother. Yet a good mother may bring up a valuable person who may contribute millions to the economy. But what would happen if motherhood is monetarised? Would motherhood be the same?
If the business of an organisation is charity and the income is from donations, how then do we pay the employees? Do we pay the CEO by the amount of donation which he can garner (which can be monetarised), or the effectiveness of the organisation's charity focus (which cannot be monetarise)?
Prince is a commercial pop singer that makes lots for money for his record company. So his company also pays him well.
Joseph Prince is a pastor that makes lots of money for his church, so his church also pays him well. But is the money that the church gets an "income" in the commercial sense? When a pastor's effort is monetarised, are things still the same?
Without Jesus, there would be no Apostles. Without the apostles, there would be no Christianity. Without Christianity, there would be no Joseph Prince. How much then should we pay Jesus? Satan once offered Jesus all the kingdoms of the world (Matthew 4:8, Luke 4:6), if only He would worship him. Jesus rejected the offer. Can we offer Jesus more than what Satan, the prince of the power of the air (Ephesians 2:2), had offered?
All the Apostles, save John, were martyred. This is God's earthly reward for those who laid the foundations of Christianity. If the efforts of the Apostles were monaterised, how much should be they be paid? If they accept the pay, where would Christianity be today?
He is no fool who gives what he cannot keep to gain that which he cannot lose. Jim Elliot.
Don’t sacrifice the permanent on the altar of the immediate. Bob Jones Senior.

A friend's illogical gospel

Once an elder brother of a friend told me this, "For those who died without knowing Christ, God would judge them according to their works. If they are good, they will go heaven. However, if anyone who have heard the Gospel and rejected its message, that person will go to hell." Now this person was trying to console himself that his father, who died without Christ, is now in heaven because he was good, and also trying to defend God for sending people who had no chance of hearing to Gospel to hell (e.g. the millions of Chinese in China before missionaries from the West came).
"Then we should not preach the Gospel, because we are sending people to hell if they reject it," I replied.
"Preaching the Gospel is about heavenly warfare, and so we must preach," was his reply.
But this gospel made me a judge of men. If I judged that he is so evil and definitely hell-bound, I would preach the Gospel to him, perchance he may accept and be saved. If I judged that he is good and may go to heaven on his own, then preaching the Gospel gives him a chance to reject it and send him to hell. If this gospel is true, God has delegated part of his job at the Great White Throne to me.

The purpose of preservation of saints

My Father, which gave them me, is greater than all; and no man is able to pluck them out of my Father's hand. (John 10:29 KJV)

The doctrine of the preservation of saints is given to us so that weak and sinful Christians like me can have something to cling to. If God had not promised that He would persevere in our salvation, we would have given up hope.

There are those who believe that because we are saved once and for all and we can sin, such people do not have any notion of the sinfulness of sin and they should examine their faith.

There is no chicken-and-egg problem in the Bible

There is no chicken-and-egg problem in the Bible. The chicken came first and that can be deduced by logic. Since you need a male and female chicken to start producing the egg, the chicken have to come first.

There are many issues if the egg come first.

1. Where does the egg get the sperm to fertilise it? If it is already fertilised, then it is a special pre-fertilised egg. That means it is not the normal egg that is being produced today.
2. Who will take care of the chick when it is hatched?
3. There have to be a minimum of two eggs, one male and one female.

So which is easier, to have two special pre-fertilised male and female egg to hatch into full grown male and female chicken, or just have the full grown male and female chicken straight away? Use Occam's razor and you will get the answer.

The only reason why the chicken-and-egg problem exist is that people is trying very hard to deny God.

Virgin Birth and Surrogate Mum

And the angel answered and said unto her, The Holy Ghost shall come upon thee, and the power of the Highest shall overshadow thee: therefore also that holy thing which shall be born of thee shall be called the Son of God. (Luke 1:35 KJV)

overshadow (ἐπισκιάζω)
to cast a shade upon, that is, (by analogy) to envelop in a haze of brilliancy; figuratively to invest with preternatural influence: - overshadow.

Jesus was the "Seed of a Woman" (Genesis 3:15).

I'm sorry, I can't be perfect, but I expect you to be

The problem of being good is that it lifts you up and put others down. Every Christian should be careful when they are good. It is their weakest moment when pride puffs up and judges their weaker brother.

Assurance

Our assurance - God is faithful

God is faithful, by whom ye were called unto the fellowship of his Son Jesus Christ our Lord. (1 Corinthians 1:9 KJV)

There hath no temptation taken you but such as is common to man: but God is faithful, who will not suffer you to be tempted above that ye are able; but will with the temptation also make a way to escape, that ye may be able to bear it. (1 Corinthians 10:13 KJV)

Faithful is he that calleth you, who also will do it. (1 Thessalonians 5:24 KJV)

Moreover whom he did predestinate, them he also called: and whom he called, them he also justified: and whom he justified, them he also glorified. (Romans 8:30 KJV)

Being confident of this very thing, that he which hath begun a good work in you will perform it until the day of Jesus Christ: (Philippians 1:6 KJV)

The Message of the Quran

The message of the Quran is this: "God is great. Submit to Him". The Taurat (Torah), Zabur (Psalms) and Injil (Gospel) also contain this message, but their main message is that of redemption of God's people. It is this message of redemption that makes Taurat (Torah), Zabur (Psalms) and Injil (Gospel) special and consistent in their outlook.

The Quran has no message of redemption. Its message is general, telling us the obvious.

The consistent message of the God of Abraham in the Bible

The consistent message of the God of Abraham in the Bible is deliverance. God promised the the Israelites in Egypt that He will deliver them from bondage in Egypt. He will bring them to the Promised Land. Likewise, God promised the Christians deliverance from the bondage of sin. He will bring us to the Heaven of Eternal Rest.

The means of deliverance is also consistently the same - Redemption. God redeemed the people of Israel during the Passover night by the blood of the Passover lamb. God redeemed Isaac also by a ram caught in a thicket by his horns (Genesis 22:13). God redeemed us by our Lord Jesus, who is our Passover Lamb (John 1:29).

It is for this reason the Old Testament and the New Testament can co-exist in one volume, called the Bible - the consistency of the same message.

Moses Established Criteria For Future Prophets

Moses as the first prophet to write a book set the standard for all future prophets. He also made a prediction for the special prophet - "I will raise them up a Prophet from among their brethren, like unto thee, and will put my words in his mouth; and he shall speak unto them all that I shall command him (Deuteronomy 18:18)." Some claimed that "among the brothers" means that the Prophet will not be an Israelite, but from his brother. Well, Esau is the brother of Israel and I have not seen any significant Edomite prophet. But I have seen a descendant of Israel's uncle, Ishmael, claiming to be a prophet, but Deuteronomy 18:18 rule him out.

How does the Israelites know that Moses is a prophet of God?

There are three points:

1. The message of the promised land of Canaan;
   The message of Moses is consistent with that of the promises of God to Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. Moses confirmed (Exodus 6:8) God's promise to Abraham (Genesis 17:8), Isaac (Genesis 26:3) and Israel (Genesis 35:12) to give them the land of Canaan by leading them out of Egypt to Canaan.
   And I will give unto thee, and to thy seed after thee, the land wherein thou art a stranger, all the land of Canaan, for an everlasting possession; and I will be their God. (Genesis 17:8 KJV)
   Sojourn in this land, and I will be with thee, and will bless thee; for unto thee, and unto thy seed, I will give all these countries, and I will perform the oath which I swore unto Abraham thy father; (Genesis 26:3 KJV)
   And God said unto him, Thy name is Jacob: thy name shall not be called any more Jacob, but Israel shall be thy name: and he called his name Israel. And God said unto him, I am God Almighty: be fruitful and multiply; a nation and a company of nations shall be of thee, and kings shall come out of thy loins; And the land which I gave Abraham and Isaac, to thee I will give it, and to thy seed after thee will I give the land. (Genesis 35:10-12 KJV)
   And I will bring you in unto the land, concerning the which I did swear to give it to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob; and I will give it you for a heritage: I am the LORD. (Exodus 6:8 KJV)


2. The visible Shekinah Glory of God;
   The visible Shekinah Glory of God lead the Israelites by day in a pillar of a cloud and by night in a pillar of fire. The Glory of the LORD came down and covered the Mount Sinai for six days and on the seventh day called Moses to receive the Ten Commandments.
   And the LORD went before them by day in a pillar of a cloud, to lead them the way; and by night in a pillar of fire, to give them light; to go by day and night: He took not away the pillar of the cloud by day, nor the pillar of fire by night, from before the people. (Exodus 13:21-22 KJV)
   And the glory of the LORD abode upon mount Sinai, and the cloud covered it six days: and the seventh day he called unto Moses out of the midst of the cloud. (Exodus 24:16 KJV)


3. The miracles performed in the sight of all Israel.
   The miracles performed in the sight of all Israel in the deliverance from Egypt and in the Wilderness.
   And there arose not a prophet since in Israel like unto Moses, whom the LORD knew face to face, in all the signs and the wonders, which the LORD sent him to do in the land of Egypt to Pharaoh, and to all his servants, and to all his land, and in all that mighty hand, and in all the great terror which Moses showed in the sight of all Israel. (Deuteronomy 34:10-12 KJV)

The test of a true prophet is in his message

The test of a true prophet of God lies in his message. The messages of all true prophets of God will agree with one another and can be compiled into one book, e.g. the Bible.

"If a prophet or a dreamer of dreams arises among you and gives you a sign or a wonder, and the sign or wonder that he tells you comes to pass, and if he says, 'Let us go after other gods,' which you have not known, 'and let us serve them,' you shall not listen to the words of that prophet or that dreamer of dreams. For the LORD your God is testing you, to know whether you love the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul. (Deuteronomy 13:1-3 ESV)

But even if we or an angel from heaven should preach to you a gospel contrary to the one we preached to you, let him be accursed. As we have said before, so now I say again: If anyone is preaching to you a gospel contrary to the one you received, let him be accursed. (Galatians 1:8-9 ESV)

Miracles do not make one a true prophet. If an angel speaks to you, it does not necessarily means that the angel is from God.

By this you know the Spirit of God: every spirit that confesses that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is from God, and every spirit that does not confess Jesus is not from God. This is the spirit of the antichrist, which you heard was coming and now is in the world already. (1 John 4:2-3 ESV)

For many deceivers have gone out into the world, those who do not confess the coming of Jesus Christ in the flesh. Such a one is the deceiver and the antichrist. (2 John 1:7 ESV)

The Bible's vs the Quran's challenge

Allah, in the Quran, challenges anyone to produce a book like it (17:88), nor ten chapters like it (11:13), nor even one chapter like it (2:23, 10:38).

God, in the Bible, also posed challenges. He challenge anyone to foretell the future.
Set forth your case, says the LORD; bring your proofs, says the King of Jacob. Let them bring them, and tell us what is to happen. Tell us the former things, what they are, that we may consider them, that we may know their outcome; or declare to us the things to come. (Isaiah 41:21-22 ESV)
Who is like me? Let him proclaim it. Let him declare and set it before me, since I appointed an ancient people. Let them declare what is to come, and what will happen. (Isaiah 44:7 ESV)
I am telling you this now, before it takes place, that when it does take place you may believe that I am he. (John 13:19 ESV)

Muslims reasons for a miraculous Quran

These are some of the reasons Muslims offered to prove that the Quran is miraculous:

• Its content is beyond Muhammad and his contemporaries;
• It was revealed in Arabic, the most precise and logical language in the world;
• It has unique linguistic and literary features;
• It was revealed in 23 years and yet has no contradiction;
• Muhammad’s illiteracy prevent him from producing such a book;
• No one is able to produce a book like it, nor ten chapters like it, nor even one chapter like it;
• Its exact preservation till today.

Allah sent messengers to every nation

Allah sent messengers to every nation:
And for every Ummah (a community or a nation), there is a Messenger; when their Messenger comes, the matter will be judged between them with justice, and they will not be wronged (10:47 Muhsin Khan version).
Verily! We have sent you with the truth, a bearer of glad tidings, and a warner. And there never was a nation but a warner had passed among them (35:24 Muhsin Khan version).

It was not stated whether these messengers wrote books, but anyway, the messages were lost.

Allah claimed to have given us the Bible

Allah claimed to have given us the Bible.
Say, [O believers], "We have believed in Allah and what has been revealed to us and what has been revealed to Abraham and Ishmael and Isaac and Jacob and the Descendants and what was given to Moses and Jesus and what was given to the prophets from their Lord. We make no distinction between any of them, and we are Muslims [in submission] to Him." (2:136 Sahih International version).
Say, "We have believed in Allah and in what was revealed to us and what was revealed to Abraham, Ishmael, Isaac, Jacob, and the Descendants, and in what was given to Moses and Jesus and to the prophets from their Lord. We make no distinction between any of them, and we are Muslims [submitting] to Him." (3:84 Sahih International version).
Indeed, We have revealed to you, [O Muhammad], as We revealed to Noah and the prophets after him. And we revealed to Abraham, Ishmael, Isaac, Jacob, the Descendants, Jesus, Job, Jonah, Aaron, and Solomon, and to David We gave the book [of Psalms]. (4:163 Sahih International version).

They are the Taurat (Torah), Zabur (Psalms) and Injil (Gospel). If we read the Bible, we find that the Taurat (Torah), Zabur (Psalms) and Injil (Gospel) are very different from the Quran.

For example, in the Quran, Jesus did not die:
And because of their saying (in boast), "We killed Messiah 'Iesa (Jesus), son of Maryam (Mary), the Messenger of Allah," - but they killed him not, nor crucified him, but the resemblance of 'Iesa (Jesus) was put over another man (and they killed that man), and those who differ therein are full of doubts. They have no (certain) knowledge, they follow nothing but conjecture. For surely; they killed him not [i.e. 'Iesa (Jesus), son of Maryam (Mary) ]: (4:157 Muhsin Khan version)

In all the four Gospels of the Bible, Jesus died and rose again on the third day. So the Injil (Gospel) that the Quran talked about is a different gospel from the Gospel in the Bible. Did the Injil (Gospel) of the Quran exist? It is the job of the Muslims to produce this Injil (Gospel). I definitely think it does not exist. Show me and I will believe.

The Quran is preserved but not the Taurat, Zabur and Injil

Allah had promised in the Quran to protect and preserve the Quran.
Indeed, it is We who sent down the Qur'an and indeed, We will be its guardian (15:9 Sahih International version).

Allah promised that his words cannot be changed.
For them are glad tidings, in the life of the present world (i.e. righteous dream seen by the person himself or shown to others), and in the Hereafter. No change can there be in the Words of Allah, this is indeed the supreme success (10:64 Muhsin Khan version).

However, Allah failed to preserve the Taurat (Torah), Zabur (Psalms) and Injil (Gospel). We cannot find the version of Taurat, Zabur and Injil that is in agreement with the Quran today. The three books were so thoroughly destroyed that we cannot even find the evidence that it ever exist. All we have is the Bible, which the Muslims claimed (without proof) that it is not the real Taurat, Zabur and Injil.

Given the track record of three failures, how can I trust Allah to preserve the fourth?

To prove the Quran

There are 4 verses in the Quran that give a method of proving that the Quran is true. There are quoted below in Sahih International version:

And if you are in doubt about what We have sent down upon Our Servant [Muhammad], then produce a surah the like thereof and call upon your witnesses other than Allah , if you should be truthful. (2:23)

Or do they say [about the Prophet], "He invented it?" Say, "Then bring forth a surah like it and call upon [for assistance] whomever you can besides Allah , if you should be truthful." (10:38)

Or do they say, "He invented it"? Say, "Then bring ten surahs like it that have been invented and call upon [for assistance] whomever you can besides Allah , if you should be truthful." (11:13)

Say, "If mankind and the jinn gathered in order to produce the like of this Qur'an, they could not produce the like of it, even if they were to each other assistants." (17:88)

Basically the Quran challenge us to bring a book or a chapter like it. To accept this challenge, we can conduct a test. Create Arabic verses like the Quran and mix the real Quran surahs in it. Get those who know Arabic to identify the real Koran surahs. If everyone who reads this mixture is able to correctly identify the real Quran surahs, then the Quran must be special. If not, we can prove that the Quran can be duplicated and the above quoted surahs are false.

Can principals and teachers be evaluated fairly with yearly KPI?

Let say a new principal of a prestigeous top secondary school or junior college decide to try some new methods to train the students. As a result, the school's results drop a little, maybe no longer top, but still within top ten. After five years, the school's board call up the principal and said, "Ever since you took over, our school is no longer the best. Although we know that you emphasise on training the whole person, not just for academic results, but our school ranking has dropped and so you have to go. Maybe you should go to those school where the students are not so gifted and try your methods." Let say twenty years later, it turned out that most of the leaders of the country turned out to be from that school during the principal's term of office and they credit their success to him (or her). How shall we reward this principal, since the proof of his success takes twenty years to mature?

God's love is not optional

We have this famous verse from John 3:16: "For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life."

Many preachers stopped here and start talking about the wonderful love of God, which is of course very true. However, some preachers went further. I remembered a female preacher from Colchester, Essex, England gave the analogy that God is like a young man chasing after young girls. He is full of love. Young girls do not just accept love from young men, if there is more than one suitor. She has a choice.

However, we do not have an option. If we were to go down further to John 3:18, we will read this: "He that believeth on him is not condemned: but he that believeth not is condemned already, because he hath not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God." But God commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us (Romans 5:8). Rejection means condemnation. Unlike the young girls, we do not have an option. There is only one God.

Everyone loves a "good" man

Everyone loves a "good" man. Even the most evil tyrant loves to have a loyal and honest follower. Loyal and honest to him only, but cruel and cunning to others. Company likes loyal and honest employees, as long as they do not tell everyone the bad things that happen in their companies too honestly to outsiders. Countries love to have honest and loyal citizens. Nobody likes traitors.
Christians are loyal and honest to God, who is the highest authority. This is not popular. Many leaders or organisation want the loyalty to be directed at themselves, not someone else. Thus some countries find Christians unwelcome, even when they are loyal and honest, because they are loyal to another Authority which may be a competitor to the state, especially when the state is not good.

What if Christianity is a scam?

For which of you, intending to build a tower, sitteth not down first, and counteth the cost, whether he have sufficient to finish it? (Luke 14:28)
Or what king, going to make war against another king, sitteth not down first, and consulteth whether he be able with ten thousand to meet him that cometh against him with twenty thousand? (Luke 14:31)

What if Christianity is a scam? What would be the cost to you?

If I die and atheism turned out to be true, and there is no God, well, I just won't wake up. I think it is okay. I have wasted my time, but so have everyone else.

If Islam turned out to be true, we are more or less on equal grounds with everyone else. After all, Allah will weigh everyone's deeds on a balance to decide who will go to heaven or hell.

If Buddhism is true, then I will get a second chance with my reincarnation.

But what if Christianity is NOT a scam? Then you have to take note of this verse:
Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me. (John 14:6)

Predestination vs Free will

When Romeo and Juliet committed suicide, were they doing it out of their own free will, or were they murdered by William Shakespeare?

Separatism and Pride

Sometimes, when we fight for the truth and separation from evil against heresies, we become proud. We prayed together with the Pharisee, "I thank thee, that I am not as other men are, extortioners, unjust, adulterers, or even as this publican (Luke 18:11 KJV)."